It is known that certain cases X-ray examination of the heart requires two explorations with different respective incidences so as to provide more precise images of the heart cavities and allow their volume to be determined. These examinations are carried out by injecting so-called contrast products into the blood system, or sanguineous system. Such products are not well supported by the organism and may even be the cause of an interruption of the cardiac function during the examination, whereby it becomes necessary to effect revival of reanimation operations. Thus it is desirable, on the one hand, to reduce to a minimum the amount of contrast product used and, on the other hand, to provide an X-ray installation which does not hamper the work of the reanimation team and which preferably can be removed very quickly from the patient.
With a view to reducing the amount of injected contrast product it has already been proposed to use an installation comprising two source-and-receiver systems arranged about an analysing center located in the vicinity of the table on which the patient is placed, these two systems being adapted to be actuated simultaneously, whereby only one single injection of constrast product is required. Such installation essentially comprises two large bow elements substantially defining half-circles, each one of said bow elements bearing at its two ends an X-ray source and a receiver (associated to a luminance amplifier), respectively. A guiding rail is provided along each bow element, and a support movable with respect to the table meshes with this rail. Thus when it is desired to vary the incidence of the X-rays during examination the entire assembly constituted by the bow element, the source and the receiver is moved along a circular path. An installation of this type operates satisfactorily and enables, in particular, to reduce the amount of contrast product used in cardiovascular examination or exploration. However on account of their volume the bow elements may render difficult the access to the patient; this applies especially to one of said elements which is arranged so as to have a fictive rotational axis parallel to the table. Furthermore, in such installation the cantilevered masses are considerable and require heavy structures, and consequently only the biggest hospitals can be equipped with this kind of installation.
Due to the use of a plurality of slide assemblies of the above described type, an installation according to the invention is less complex and less expensive than an installation using two bow elements. Furthermore the novel installation is less prone to impede the access to the patient, and it is also possible to remove said installation very quickly in case of an emergency.